Tholpavakoothu by saloni

THOLPAVAKOOTHU

SHADOW PUPPETRY FROM KERALA

“We perform as a group, as a team. It’s not about who’s performing. From front, nobody knows us, it’s only the show that speaks and that’s what matters. In a way, we puppeteers are all puppets too.” -A puppeteer

PREFACE Every new project involves a journey that begins with the seed of an idea and travels its own unique path until its final creation is done. This documentation was one such journey. This work, THOLPAVAKOOTHU - The shadow puppetry from Kerala is an outcome of both primary and secondary data research and is for the craft cluster documentation project which is a part of our fifth semester curriculum. The main objective is to spread awareness and information about these traditional and precious forms of art from. The objective of the document is to make these ancient art forms to be taken as an inspiration to fuse it with modern elements to create something new and thus preserve the art in a contemporary way. Also, this documentation can be a good source of information for gaining knowledge and respect for the art, artisans and their stories which are less spoken about but are worth knowing and sharing.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Journey of the F.C Cluster 2016 , was in its truest means, one of the most breathtaking journey that has influenced all our lives collectively and individually. Due to which we are here to express our deepest appreciation to all those who provided us with the possibility to witness this project. First of all I would like to thank National Institute Of Fashion Technology for giving us such an interesting project because of which we got a chance to explore something larger than life. A special gratitude goes out to my mentor, C. M. Sanjeev sir, for his constant support and guidance throughout the project. Special thanks to my friend, Gokul Krishnan and his father Mr. K.N. Krishnan for all their efforts and arrangements for our proper stay and helping us in whichever ways they could. Also, I would like to thank Mr. K.K. Ramachandra, his family and all the puppeteers for their warm and welcoming behaviour throughout the stay, for making us all feel so comfortable and leaving no stone unturned in letting us know the true essence of this beautiful art form from Kerala. And last but not the least our trio team of me, Bhavya and Gokul who worked together as a team without which this project wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possible.

CONTENTS 1. Introduction......................................................................Page 10 2. History..........................................................................Page 12-15 3. Behind the scenes.........................................................Page 16-27 i) Performance ii) Puppets iii) Puppeteers

4. Raw materials and process............................................Page 27-38 i) Colour making ii) Tools and equipments

5. Design Intervention......................................................Page 38-42 6. My experience..............................................................Page 39-42 7. Bibliography.....................................................................Page 40

INTRODUCTION Tholpavakoothu is a form of shadow puppetry that is practiced in Kerala, India. It is performed using leather puppets as a ritual dedicated to Bhadrakali and is performed in Devi temples in specially built theatres called koothumadams. This art form is especially popular in the Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts of Kerala. Tholpavakoothu is a compound word of three Malayalam terms, Thol, meaning leather, Pava, meaning doll, and Koothu, meaning the play. It is believed to have originated in the ninth century AD and uses Kamba Ramayana as its basic text. The performance language uses Tamil, Sanskrit and Malayalam words. Like Mudiyettu and Patayani, Tholpavakoothu is also an art form that is dedicated to Bhadrakali. According to legend, Tholpavakoothu was performed at the request of Bhadrakali who could not witness Ravanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s killing as she was fighting the demon Darika. Thus when it is performed in temples, an idol of the Goddess is usually placed on a pedestal in front of the arena where it is staged. The puppets used in Tholpavakoothu used to be made out of deerskin but are now typically made from goatskin. The puppets are painted in vegetable dyes, as these dyes last long. Some puppets can be as tall as four feet. The puppets are controlled using two sticks; the puppeteer holds the puppet in one hand while its limbs are manipulated using a thinner stick held in the puppeteerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other hand.

LOCAL ESSENCE

Tholpavakoothu, the traditional shadow puppetry centre is located in Koonathara, Shoranur in the Palakkad district of Kerala.

populous town in Kerala and lies near the Palghat Gap. Malayalam is the generally spoken language in Palakkad.

the South-West monsoon. July is the wettest month, and the total annual rainfall is around 83 inches.

Palakkad, also known as Palghat, is a city and municipality in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 kmÂ˛ and is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District.

The city is situated about 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram and 54 kilometers south west of Coimbatore, and 66 km north east of Thrissur on the Salem-Kanyakumari National Highway NH 47.

Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap, in the Western Ghats. Malayalam is the generally spoken language in Palakkad as it is the official language

It is around 374.1 kilometres from Bangalore.(around 8 hours).The place is known for its various art forms and the artists. It is the hottest district in Kerala.In earlier times,

Palakkad has a tropical wet and dry climate. Temperatures remain moderate throughout the year, with exception in March and April being the hottest months.

Palakkad was known as Palakkattussery. Palakkad is the seventh most

A very high amount of precipitation is received in Palakkad, mainly due to

In a distance of about 10 kilometres (15 minutes away), there is Kalamandalam, a deemed University of Art and Culture by the Government of India, which is a major centre for learning Indian Performing Arts, especially those that developed in the Southern states of India, with the special emphasis on Kerala.

pic courtesy Gokul Krishnan

HISTORY

KAMBA RAMAYANA

Troupe holding Rama and Ravana’s Puppet before the Kamba Ramayana play. (Pic courtesy- Gokul Krishnan)

Tholpavakoothu is a traditional art form performed at Bhadrakali temples in Palakkad, Malappuram Thrissur districts. Tholpavakoothu performed in temples at a permanent stage called Koothu Madamsin in front of badhrakali temples. It is said to have originated in the 18th century and is also known as Pavakoothu (puppet play) or Nizhalattam (shadow play). This entertainment art is performed on a special stage called Koothumadam in the temple courtyard. Puppets (pavakal), usually representing four characters from the Ramayana, are arranged behind a long white screen, in front of bright wick lamps. The puppets are made of deer skin and are made to dance to songs from the Kamba Ramayana (the Tamil version of the epic) with songs in the background.

The performance starts late at night and continues up to daybreak.

shadow puppetry is performed as a ritual at the Bhadrakali temples.

Tholpavakoothu, literally meaning ‘leather puppet play’, is a ritual art performed during the annual festivals in the Kaali temples of Palakkad district.

Bhadrakali temples are in and around the district of Palakkad in Kerala. Based on Kamba Ramayana, the Tamil version of the Indian epic., Ramayana,

The theme of the play is based on the Kamba Ramayana, narrated in a diction that is a mixture of Malayalam and Tamil dialectical variations.

Chinnathampi Vadhyar a scholar composed the script for Tholpavakoothu plays.

The play covers the whole gamut of events from Lord Shree Rama’s birth to his coronation as the King of Ayodhya. The shadow play is presented in the ‘Koothumadam’, a specially constructed oblong play house on the temple premises. The puppets are fashioned out of the hides of buffaloes and deer, the former for evil characters and latter for noble ones. Tholpavakoothu or

Kamba Ramayana was authored by the great Tamil scholar and poet Kambar who lived in the 12th century. Poems and narrations accompany the play. The entire story of Ramayana is composed as 21 parts and is presented taking 21 nights, which is around 400 hours. Most of the Bhadrakali temples in Palakkad have Koothumadams, permanent structures for staging the puppetry. The stage is curtained off with a white cloth and leather.

puppets are held up with sticks, behind the screen. Earthen lamps are placed behind the puppets to create shadows on the screen. The troupe was founded by the descendants of the late Krishnan Kutty Pulavar. In Malayalam, Tholpavakoothu is a compound word of three terms: ‘Thol’ means leather, ‘Pava’ means doll and ‘Koothu’ means play. Tholpavakoothu performance goes on for 21 days, performed as an eulogy to the goddess, during which the story of Ramayana is presented in 21 parts using approximately 300 different puppets in a temple. So, the Tamil version of Ramayana called Kamba Ramayana was staged especially for the mother goddess,

A ‘Koothumadam’ (temples where the puppet shows are done), in Palakkad, Shornur

Kamba Ramayana Script written in Malayalam

through poems and narratives, and of course, multiple leather puppets guided by two sticks. Usually, the “show” is sponsored by a family—and more often than not it isn’t done for an audience according to the duration the audience want. The stage faces the temple entrance and the audience comprises none other

than Goddess Bhadrakali, who watches from within the temple remises. Traditionally, the shows used to happen only in the temples in which women were not allowed to take part but these days it has come out of the temple and women do take part in the performances.

BEHIND THE SCENES

PERFORMANCE

Preparation for the performance starts one hour prior to the show. They arrange all the puppets backstage according to the characters and their roles in the play. Discussions happen among the puppeteers and script writers while making a new story They discuss about the script, shape,colour and design (and even

materials these days) of the puppets before making new stories. After all the planning and discussions are done, voice tracks are formed which is done by the troupe itself. The story includes shlokas, songs, proverbs and even dialogues. In temples, priests lit up the lamp before the show starts. Lord Ganesha is worshiped and then the show starts.

in the temples of Bhadarakali is regards a part of the ritualistic worship of the goddess. Now, there are 85 temples performing Tholpavakoothu in kerala under Shri. K.K.Ramachandra Pulavar. The puppets are held by a thin stick in one hand while the limbs are manipulated by a thinner stick held in another hand of the puppeteer.

The show starts with four Brahmins entering the screen from four different directions, one with two pots in the hand carrying the holy water from the Ganges.

Traditionally, the show used to happen for continuous 41 days and 41 nights but these days, the show hours has been reduced to a few hours and even minutes depending upon the kind of audience.

The screen is around 41 feet in length, 12 f eet in height and is made out of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (white coloured fabric traditionally worn by males in the state). Tholpava Koothu performed every year

Also, these shows have gone out of the temples. These days, the puppeteers are travelling to places all over the country and even outside to perform and the art is gaining more and more popularity.

PUPPETS - DESIGN ELEMENTS These days, new materials have started being used for the modern stories. A complete planning goes behind among the puppeteers and the script writers, before a new character for a new story is to be formed, whose characteristics , shape size and colour pallet are according to its role and the type of story.

The puppets were traditionally made out of deer skin. Howver, buffalo or goat skin started being used lately. However, not all animal skin are able to get the natural colours that they use. There are around 2000 puppets at the Pulavars,some of them being more than 500-800 years old, all in a very good condition and costs up to 75,000 rupees. The size of the puppet varies according to the importance of the character to the type of stories.

Ravana’s puppet from ‘Kamba Ramayana.’‘Veeralipattu’ designs as a mark of royalty and supremacy (green coloured)

For example, demons have sharp and edgy noses, whereas the main characters (the good ones), have more modified and simpler edges. There are a lot of other design elements which depends upon the character. There must be above 150 puppets made in different postures, standing, fighting, sitting and lying etc. in different colours to conduct the play based on “Kamba Ramayana” alone. Different colours are used to signify different elements.Yellow colour is used for ornaments, brown for body, black for hair and red, green and blue for decorations. The kings wear ‘Veeralipattu’ designs as a mark of

royalty and supremacy. The demons are a little bended, have big eyes, big bellies and big hands with sharp edgy noses. The puppets have to make gestures and movements in conformity with the narration or dialogue. The most common colours used in the puppets are brown,dark blue, red, yellow and black which are mainly sourced from natural materials. However, there are several techniques for the colours to make it visible as these aren’t visible unless these puppets are placed a little far from the screen. The puppets are around 3 feet in height and 2 feet in width. A bamboo stick is fixed vertically along the puppet that lay holding a stick, movement of the play is controlled according to the story. These ancient puppets are also believed to have inspired many other art forms such as postures and mudras in Kathakali as well as Mural paintings.

THE PUPPETEERS

KK. RAMACHANDRA PULAVAR - “The Pioneer of Shadow Puppetry in Kerala”

Mr. K.K. Ramachandra Pulavar is the pioneer of the ancient art form of shadow puppetry in Kerala. A keen lover of art and music , he has recently received a National award from the honourable president Mr. Pranab Mukherjee for his contribution in bringing this ancient art form out of the temples and popularising it to a whole new level. Here is an excerpt from the small talk that we had with him.

Q 1. Tell us about this art form. A 1. Shadow puppets are considered to be the first art form on this earth. We have evidence of their existence from the ancient scriptures. Like the ‘Puranas’ and the ‘Jatakas’. The shadow theatre existed long before human theatre came up.. Tholpavakoothu (meaning shadow puppetry in Malayalam) is the ancient art form from the state of Kerala. The show is usually performed during the spring festival of Mahashivaratri, the birthday of Lord Shiva, the patron God of puppets and of all performing arts, performed in temples for about

nine days (around 400 hours) from dusk till dawn. Q. 2 How did this art form originate? A.2. The art form is said to be brought to Kerala by Vella Chetty Community from Tamil Nadu and is believed to be originated in the 15th century. Traditionally, it was performed only in temples but today it has come out of it and has gained more popularity and respect. My father Mr. Krishnankutty Pulavar, was the person who took it out from the temples and helped in letting this art form reach more and more people inspite of no support from temples and also despite of all the controversies.

Q.3 Tell us about your team. A.3 Our team consists of 8 members with age group of 17 to 65, Both my sons are a part of the troupe. There are a few students in our neighbourhood who were really interested to learn this art form. So, after teaching them for a while, we included them in our team. The youngest member in our team started practising this art form since the year 2009. So, overall we all have an experience of around ten to fifteen years. Q.4 When and how do you perform? A.4 We mainly perform during January to June while travelling along various places but these days since it gaining popularity, we are performing by travelling to different places almost throughout the year.

Q. 5 What are the difficulties you people face while performing?

A .5 We start with the preparations 1 hour before the show. The preparations Q.6 You recently received a National award for this from the Honorable President, how was the experience? A.6 Oh, the experience was really good. I and my whole family were really humbled to get it from the President himself. Q.7 Do you face any challenges or feel any threat ?

A.7 I am an art lover. I value each and every art form on this earth equally as I value this art. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think any art form can threat any other art form. Q. 8 Do you think this art form is getting enough respect and popularity?

Q. 9 Have you taken any step to let the art form reach the younger generation?

A. 8 People have become busy these days. People who visit us are mainly tourists they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to see the whole show. Traditionally, these performances were done for days but today we have reduced the duration to 1 hour to 15 minutes or even lesser depending upon the audience who are coming to watch the show.

A. 9 Yes, we have recently started showing Panchatantra stories for kids and also stories for spreading social awareness for the younger generation. We are even planning to execute a 3D show in the month of November in Thrissur.

They do respect and value the art form but are not patient enough to watch it for hours even though we are ready to perform.Otherwise, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind performing it for hours or even for days.

Q. 10 Do you want your upcoming generation to continue with this art form? A. 10 Well, ofcourse yes, I want my upcoming generation to continue and popularise this art form and keep it alive for generations. Mr. K.K Ramachandra Pulavar receiving the National award from the honorable president Mr. Pranab Mukherjee.

K. RAJEEV PULAVAR

Here is an excerpt from the small talk that we had with Rajeev Pulavar, the eldest son of Mr. K.K. Ramachandra Pulavar’s , who recently got married and is very well following his father’s steps in bringing up this art form to a new level. Q 1. How and where do you get the raw materials from? A 1. We buy fresh leather from the market directly, pin it, stretch it and then keep it for drying under the sun for two to three days. After it’s completely dried, we cut it into smaller pieces according to the size of the puppets to be made.

we get around 10x10 feet sheets. After all the drying and cutting of these sheets, we remove the hair out of it and then use pencil to draw the designs either directly on it or by tracing it from paper. Q3. Who does the whole process?

Q 2. Is there any particular size of sheet that you get from the market?

A3. Before, we had people for this work but now, the troupe itself does it. Nowadays, machines are being used to remove the hair. In olden days, people used normal blades.

A2. No, we just take whatever we get and do it all on our own, there’s no specific size for it, but usually

Q 4. How is the planning done when you make a new character or a new story?

A4. A whole lot of discussions goes among the troupe and the script writers whenever a new story is made. For example, for Gandhikoothu, they made a normal sketch of Gandhi on paper, traced it and then cut the leather. When the outline was ready, they gave the design details and colour to the puppets accordingly. Q5. How do you give shape and size to a character? What factors do you keep in mind? A5. It basically depends on the screen size. Usually the puppets

are 4 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide but these days , we have started making smaller puppets which are made up of different materials.

projectors for our Mahabharata play including led lightsinstead of lamps for giving a colourful and scenic background to it rather than keeping it plain.

Q 6. What other changes have come?

Also, this was the first time we used actual humans in the play along with the puppets.

A 6. There are a lot of changes that have come up. The duration of the play has been reduced from days, hours to minutes now. Art lovers do watch the full show but tourists, since they have to travel places, we keep it short for them.Also, recently we used 3D

7. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you think that is completely going away from the tradition and somewhere killing the true essence of this art form? A7. No, it is actually to keep the tradition alive by adding more and more elements to it to let it reach a lager audience.

LAXMAN AKA SUDHEER Q 2. How did it all start? How did you get into Shadow Puppetry?

going to leave this. I’ll continue traveeling and going out for shows.

A2.. Since I was a kid, I had a thing for puppets. I was their (Krishnakutti’s) neighbour. I have been watching these shows since I was a kid.

Q 5. Would you like to share anything with us?

I was always fascinated to see these people perform and always wanted to learn it and since all these people were nearby, I joined these people. Q3. Did you face any difficluties managing studies along with going for shows? Q 1. Tell us about yourself. A 1. Hello, my name is Sudheer, also called as Lakshman because that is the character that I usually play. I have a Diploma in Electrical Engineering and is looking for jobs right now. I have applied for a few government jobs and have been shortlisted for P.S.E. test.

A3.. Yes, I faced a lot of difficulties managing my studies and Puppetry but it’s the love for the art that keeps you going. I struggled a lot with my attendance but somehow managed it all. Q 4.. What was your priority ? A4. Puppetry was always a priority. Even though I have applied for a few government jobs but I am never

A 5. These days, a lot of things have been changed. The plays which used to happen for days has been reduced to hours and even minutes as people just want to see it for a while. Only few people such as artists or researchers watch the full show, otherwise tourists ask us to make it short. So, even though we don’t want to, we have to reduce the duration of the show. Traditionally, the show used to happen for 41 days and 41 nights but today we hardly perform for hours. This really upsets me. It has somewhere killed the essence of the art. I wish more and more people come up for promoting it in its real form.

RAW MATERIALS AND PROCESS

COLOUR MAKING

Different materials are used for different colours. The colours used are all natural and are made at home. Different natural materials are used for different colours.

The wood is cut using machines these days.In olden days, they used axes and other equipment to cut it which were a little time taking and required a lot of manual work.

Chapagam leaves are used for red colour,, Jackfruits are used to get yellow colour, Vengaya leaves are used for brown colour,

Although these puppets are already coloured but the process involves different colours, the original method of making natural colours was by boiling the wooden pieces of different woods.

Indraneela is used for dark blue colour whereas ashes are used for black colour. The colour making mainly involves boiling of the cut out wood of the respective tree ( for example jackfruit for yellow colour). This is then boiled for one whole day in one litre of water in a big vessel out of which one litre of colour comes out.

controlled according to the circumstances. There must be above 150 puppets made in different posture standing, fighting, sitting and lying etc in different colours to conduct this play based on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kamba Ramayanaâ&#x20AC;?. However, colours are visible only when puppets are placed a little far from the screen.

The result was good, strong, and lasting , these become very attractive when shades of other colours merge in them,

Different colours are used to signify different elements.Yellow colour is used for ornaments, brown for body ,black for hair and red,green and blue for decorations.

It should be done with utmost care. Then flexible hands made of deer skins are attached to the puppet. A bamboo stick is fixed vertically along the puppet that lay holding a stick, movement of the play is

The puppets have to make gestures and movements in conformity with the narration or dialogue. the most common colours used in the puppets are brown, dark blue, red, yellow and black.

35 1

The process of colour making takes around 1-2 days. After boiling the respective wood scraps for different colours (in about ten litres of water for almost a day), one litre of actual colour is extracted.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENTS

TOOLS AND EQUPMMENTS

Various tools and instruments are used in various ways during the play and in its making ‘Chilaga’ or ‘ghunghru’ is used in dance sequences during the play. There are different and unique ways of producing different types of sounds out of it depending upon the type of play. Also, another instrument called ‘Elathalam’, which is flapped with one another to create certain kind of sounds are again used according to the play. Coconut oil is basically used (cheap and easily available) for burning the lamps behind the screen, which are the main source of light for the play. ‘Chelupeeti’ powder is also used in the play where they sprinkle a cer-

tain amount of the powder over the burning lamp (diyas), out of which flame comes out thus are used for the fire sequences in the play. Puppets are made out of leather. Traditionally, deer skin was used unlike these days, where buffalo or goat skin have started being used. Huge sheets of leather are first dried under the sun for a few days, then the respective outline of the puppet character is made on paper or directly on the leather sheet.

keeping a marble block as a base. These designs vary according to the characters in the play. Different techniques are used to mae full moons and half moons using the same equipments by keeping it in various ways. Once these designs are made, these are coloured using the natural homemade colours and are left to dry till it gets ready to be used in the play.

This is then cut using a big cutting tool (or even machines these days). Then, detailing is done using various tools.

The screen is around 41 feet in length, 12 f eet in height and is made out of mund (white coloured fabric traditionally worn by males in the state).

Designs like ‘Veeralipattu’, ‘full moon’, ‘half moon’, ‘round holes’ are done using curved and round chisels, punch holes and hammer,

The puppets are usually 2-3 feet wide and 3 feet in height and have sticks attached to it for the puppeteers to handle it during the play.

Bows and arrows (image 1) are used during the fighting sequences. ‘ Chilaga’ or ‘ghunghru’ (image 2) are used in dance sequences. Different tools and colours (images 3,4 and 6)are used for different designs. ‘Chelupeeti’ powder (image 5 is used for the fire scenes in the play.

DESIGN INTERVENTION

A Poster promoting GandhiKoothu (story of Mahatma Gandhi)

New methods and technology are being followed these days in order to contemporize the art form and thus reach a larger audience.

four feet high and 2-3 feet wide but these days smaller puppets of size around one by one feet or even smaller are being made.

Traditionally, deer skin was used for the puppets, but these days buffalo, goat or donkey skins have started being used.

Stories based on Social awareness, Panchatantra tales, Shakespeare, Jesus Christ, Mahatama Gandhi are being played with an aim of spreading awareness and reaching a larger audience.

However, the natural colours that they use doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work on the goat skin. Thus, these days, artificial colours such as acrylic and posters colours are used as different materials other than leather are also being used. The size of the puppets has also been decreased. The usual puppet size used to be around three to

The duration of the play has been largely reduced to one hour, 45 minutes or even 15 minutes according to the type of the audience for the play. Traditionally, these plays used to happen for 41 days and 41 nights continuously.

New technologies are being used for the plays. Led lights and 3d projectors have started being used for giving colourful and scenic background. New methods have been adopted in the process of puppet making as well. For making the outlines and the designs on the puppet, drawings were done directly on the dried leather, but these days, it is first done on a paper, traced out on the dried leather sheet and is then cut. For cutting, machines are being used these days unlike the old method of cutting it using the big tools which werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very safe and accurate.

OLD AND NEW PUPPETS 44

RAMA

VIDHUSHANA

LAKSHAMANA

BALI

Picture Courtesy : Gokul Krishnan

MY EXPERIENCE

This craft cluster project was one hell of an experience. The best part of the cluster was staying there with the puppeteers’ family, getting to know them from this close. During our stay, we became so familiar with them that we somewhere started looking at the art form from their point of view, rather than looking at it as an outsider, started getting their problems, their achievements, their challenges and struggles as our own. Staying with them, spending time with them, knowing them and their stories from this close, made me have a lot of respect for these people for valuing their culture and tradition with all their heart and putting so much effort to keep it alive. It’s overwhelming to see the way they are gaining appreciation from all around the world and the way they are emerging and gaining so much popularity. I was humbled by their warm and welcoming attitude throughout the stay and all their patience in showing us all the process involved, in the making of the puppet. They showed each and every process with utter patience and interest and left no stone unturned to let us understand each and everything properly and correctly. We also got to interview some young puppeteers as well. Some of them were part of the main puppeteer’s family. They told us about their struggle of managing the show along with their studies and how they always manage to travel and perform just because of their love for the art. It was so nice to see so many young people as a part of the troupe. Got to learn a lot of things from them, how to respect your culture and help in whatever ways you can to preserve and promote them along with getting your education. They taught us the value of team work and also that it’s not always necessary to take huge steps to bring a change, sometimes, even a small effort can bring a big change. Their small effort of pursuing the art form and travelling to places and perform despite of their busy schedule is enough to inspire the young generation who have an eye for art or have an immense respect for their culture and tradition and want to keep it alive. -Saloni Gauatm

BIBLIOGRAPHY http://tholpavakoothu.in/ http://www.craftcreativitydesign.org/PDFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s/Makers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tholpavakoothu tholpavakoothu.in/about-styled.html https://www.keralatourism.org/kerala-article/tholpavakoothu-shadow-puppetry/130/ https://www.keralatourism.org/kerala-article/tholpavakoothu-shadow-puppetry/130/

THOLPAVAKOOTHU